Circus Drama
by solitarydream
Summary: "Performers aren't the only ones who work hard, are they?" Ichigo thinks. After a mesmerising performance from the well renown Kanzaki Mizuki, the groundskeeper for the circus catches Ichigo's eyes. Nothing seems out of the ordinary at first, but what Ichigo doesn't know is that that one groundskeeper is a very special person. [I don't know where this is going to go, but enjoy!]
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is just a random idea for Aikatsu I came up with. Sorry if this bores you, but if you don't like it, it's cool if you don't read it ;P**

**Sorry if some of the characters are OOC or anything along those lines, but I'll try my best :D  
>I hope you enjoy!<strong>

**One more apology: If there are spelling/grammatical errors, I will go back to correct them soon. Please do point them out if you see them! It would help greatly! :)**

**_EDIT: I've edited the chapters to change the tense, and have therefore removed the other chapter temporarily. Sorry for the inconvenience._**

**Disclaimer: Aikatsu! and the characters presented here do not belong to me in any way.**

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><p>A circus was in town. One with tents that spiraled high into the sky, with flags that swayed to and fro like waves as they were carried by the light zephyr that blew westwards on that day. The tents had a palette of basic circus colours, with a colour scheme of reds and whites, with vibrant hints of blue and green and orange and yellow. The colours splashed up at visitors like fish from the sea, and filled their eyes with nothing but colours. Bright, bright colours.<p>

It's really wonderful, don't you agree?

"Ichigo!" A voice called out cheerfully. A girl with silky blonde hair, adorned with pink ribbon turned to see her best friend, Kiriya Aoi,  
>waving quite enthusiastically at her. Alongside her was Arisugawa Otome, a very cute girl with a catchphrase of 'Love you, desu~' Hoshimiya Ichigo<br>laughed back joyfully as she ran the short distance that separated them.

"Let's go to find Kanzaki Mizuki's tent! I can't wait to see her perform live!" Aoi smiled merrily as she drifted off into a little space of her own,  
>daydreaming about the famous Kanzaki Mizuki, who was a well renown circus performer, famous for her beautiful, graceful movements<br>as she somersaulted her way through the air cleanly like a butterfly. The small group entered the tent, brimming with excitement as the sound  
>of the commotion blasted it's way into their ears.<p>

"Uwaa!~ It's so crowded, desu!" Otome chimed cheerfully as she placed her hand to her forehead and scanned the ring and rows of seats.  
>"Over there! Let's go sit over there." Ichigo motioned towards four empty seats around the center of the rows of seats.<br>They were positioned on the edge, convenient for a quick exit, if they needed to. The girls swiftly occupied the seats and settled, waiting for the show to begin. Aoi took out a little blue notepad, covered in intricate designs that arabesque to form a shape similar to that of a bluebird.  
>As if on cue, the lights dimmed and the show began.<p>

"Ladies and gentlemen, the show that will dazzle your eyes like the sun! It's Kanzaki Mizuki!" The announcer declared dramatically as everybody whooped and cheered and clapped.  
>As the noise died down, the spotlight focused on a spot in the centre of the ring, revealing a purple-haired girl, donned in clothes that enhanced her elegance. They had been designed to move easily in, and yet, they were embellished with feathers that resemble a bird's wings, which<br>seemed as if they would hinder the performer.

As Kanzaki extended her arms, the feathers followed along, releasing specks of glitter that shimmer as they caught the light on their way down.  
>Her costume was fully revealed then. It followed the basic design of a gymnast's costume, with sequins and glitter that glimmered and shimmered like embers from a fire, the brilliance reaching every edge of the tent.<br>A chorus of _oohs _and _aahs_ filled the tent as the spectators admired the exquisite costume, and the way it curved around Kanzaki's body perfectly. A note begans to play and fire ignited as the jugglers lit their props and began. The gymnast swayed and spun slowly, gradually increasing and then leaped, her hair flying out behind her.

She caught hold of a rope and twisted and turned, bending and flexing as if it were all natural.  
>Although it may have been gruesome to do, for an amateur gymnast, the way Kanzaki Mizuki presented it was mesmerising as she enchanted all the watchers. Ichigo's eyes sparkled with admiration, and Aoi was too entracned to take her eyes off of her to take notes.<br>Otome's orange-tinted eyes were attached onto Kanzaki like glue as they caught her every move, from head to toe. Expressions of pure enjoyment and admiration were etched on the girl's faces.

As the performers began to decrease pace from the climax of the show, Mizuki begans to slow to a halt on the ground.  
>She landed gracefully, as if she was a angel of some kind. The music slowed, and Mizuki froze in a perfect bow, perfectly on time with the other performers and the music. There were a few moments of silence as the watchers took in what had just happened before cheering permeated the air,<br>and flowers cannon balled into the ring, covering the girl in a flurry of plants.  
>She waved and sent kisses to the crowd before collecting several flowers from the ground and backing away. As she turned, her 'wings' flicked out slightly as if they were a cape. As the crowd bustled out happily after the performance,a feather fell from nowhere.<p>

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><p>"So, how was that?!" Aoi breathed after she took her pen away from the pad. She had sketched images of Mizuki, as to not forget any of the movement, despite the fact that photos would've been easier.<br>"Mizuki-tan, love you, desu!~" Otome grinned, her face flushed as she held her hands up in a heart shaped manner.  
>"It-it was amazing!" Ichigo smiled, her memory fresh with the beauty of Kanzaki's movements and grace.<br>"Here, here, take a look!" Aoi beckoned the two slightly closer as she showed the two other girl's the images of Mizuki.  
>"Uwaa! Love you, Aoi-tan!"<br>"Aoi, those are amazing!"

As Otome and Aoi continued shuffling through the sketches, Ichigo stretched out tiredly.  
>"Huh?" Ichigo froze mid-stretch as her eyes caught a boy around her own age with floppy black hair that covered one eye (presumably a bright amber like the other eye). The boy was sweeping up the mess from the performance, collecting flowers and putting them into a basket. Ichigo observed him curiously as he made his way around the ring.<br>_The performers aren't the only ones who work hard, are they? After all, the ground keepers have to clean up after them..._ Ichigo thought carefully, her position changing to a 'thinking' stance.  
>The cleaning boy suddenly halted and tensed as he reached a beautiful lily, with slightly crumpled petals, but beautiful nevertheless. Ichigo looked at him as his facial expression changed like the flow of water to a slightly sadder expression. He smoothed out the petals slightly, but rather than placing it in the basket for Mizuki, he popped it into his front pocket, located just above his chest. He then returned to sweeping and collecting as if nothing had happened then.<p>

"I get the feeling we should leave. I don't want to miss Johnny Bepp's performance after all!" Aoi remarked happily as she and Otome stretched out and patted themselves down as they get up.  
>"Ichigo?" Aoi looked at Ichigo. The pink ribboned girl snapped out of her 'thinking mode' and looked at Aoi.<br>"Yup!" She smiled merrily and rose up, following the two other girls out of the tent. Before she exited however, she turned back. The boy was still there, sweeping away. He stopped. He continued. If only for a moment, Ichigo could've sworn their eyes met.

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><p><strong>And that's all for now! :) Thanks for reading! Sorry for the slow updates, readers ;_;<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! This is the second chapter to the fanfic set in an AU for Aikatsu! Thank you to the people who reviewed the first chapter, and to the people who read the chapter! Once again, I don't know where this is going, so do bear with me!**

**There will most definitely be a few grammatical errors here and there. After all, nobody's perfect, right? Also, apologies in advance if this has been very poorly written. I'm still only a learner in writing, so there will be parts that go on for too long. I haven't yet got a proof reader or anything. I hope this suffices as a second chapter... Right then. Let us begin...**

**P.S: Once again, characters may be OOC. Apologies for that.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: Aikatsu! and the characters presented here do not belong to me in any way.**

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><p>Ichigo stretched out tiredly, yawning rather loudly as her other two friends, Otome and Aoi did a few stretches also. It seemed quite awkward, in such a cramped area in the space between a food stall and Johnny Bepp's tent.<br>"That was absolutely hilarious!" Ichigo grinned with a smile stretched wide across her face, clearly radiating happiness. The girl's faces were flushed bright pink after watching the famed Johnny Bepp, distinguished for his amazing remix of acts for circuses. There was a whole variety of acts they saw, with Johnny Bepp swinging wildly around the entire ring the whole time, spinning and dancing, striking all kinds of poses wildly.

"I know right! He was all... Bam! And... Fwoosh!" Otome giggled enthusiastically as she gives imitated what Johnny Bepp performed. The girls bursted into fits of laughter, making a few faces turn and frown.  
>"Who should we see next?" Aoi asked as they calmed down slightly.<br>"Mmm... It's getting kind of late... So, how about food?!" Ichigo beamed at Aoi, her eyes sparkled with hope that they'll be eating next.  
>"Yup! Me too!" Otome chimed in, her entire face lit up in anticipation.<p>

"Alright, alright. This way then!" Aoi agreed without hesitation and motioned her hand to a food stall oozing with sweet smells that tingle their senses. The mere sight of the food in the circus was sensational - a feast for the eyes alone. The temptation was barely containable as Ichigo and Otome fawned over the variety of exotically decorated foods. Aoi smiled and joined them, she too unable to resist the food.

In the end, they all picked the same menu and indulged in the food simultaneously. [I don't know any 'circus foods', so I'm afraid you'll just have to use your imagination.]  
>"It's so abso-mazingly-lutely delicious!" Aoi exclaimed as she took the first bite. "That wasn't even a real word!" As the girls found a spot to sit to enjoy their meal further, the sky began to lose it's daytime radiance. The sunlight slowly retreated as the curtain of nighttime, embellished with stars and clouds, drew an end to the wonderful day. The lights in the circus turned on, as they prepared for the nighttime acts, a special feature exclusive to this travelling circus.<br>"Hmm, I get the feeling we should return soon. We've explored almost all the tents." Aoi remarked as they disposed the wrappers of their meal into a nearby bin.

Otome suddenly looked up at the sky and her face lit up, her eyes twinkling like the few stars positioned high, high above them.

"It's a kitty-cat!" Otome exclaimed in delight, as if she were a child discovering a sweets-shop. Ichigo and Aoi looked up to where Otome's eyes were drawn to where a cloud, hung upon a thin, faint strand of stars shaped like a cat swept across the sky.  
>"Ah! It's so cute, don't you think, Ichigo?"<br>"Mmm, mmm!" Ichigo nodded in agreement as she took a camera out, positioning it up to face the ball of cotton candy, grey against the blue. She steadied her arms as much as she could and clicked the button, determined to get the photo as clear as possible. Otome merely admired the sight, her cheeks a gentle shade of pink that matched the real cotton candy hung on the rack in the store adjacent to them.

Out of the blue, a little boy and girl ran quickly and desperately towards a balloon that bobbed along slowly and casually in the sky, going with the flow of the air. Their cries made the group turn their heads, Ichigo's hands still held high above her at the cloud. Otome tilted her head in a cute fashion, wondering what to do.

The little boy didn't notice the unstable slab of rock in the pavement and seemed to fall slowly, slowly towards the ground.  
>"Ah!" Aoi cries out as she doves forwards bravely, barely managing to save the boy on time before he hit the floor, face first.<br>"Are you okay, Aoi?" Ichigo gasped worriedly. Otome and Ichigo assisted the two on the floor back up carefully.

"M-my sister!" The little boy with chocolate brown hair cried out as he scrambled out of Aoi's grasp in a desperate attempt to get to the girl who was clambering up a fairly tall tree to catch the balloon, which had conveniently landed in a branch of the tree, without popping miraculously.  
>The trio turned to see the little girl wave helplessly at the balloon like a cat to catnip as she grasped the bark tightly, her hands white with the pressure. She was nowhere near the balloon though.<p>

Without thinking, Ichigo dropped Aoi's arm and ran towards the tree herself. Dumping her bag quickly on the floor, she begans to expertly scale the trunk of the tree, her feet swiftly finding temporary foot holds.  
>"Ai-katsu! Ai-katsu!" She chanted, keeping the pace.<p>

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked the girl.  
>"M-y balloon... Ah!" The little girl fumbled around desperately, but she as she lost her grip on the rough branch, with a fairly quick reaction, Ichigo shot out her arm to grab the girl and steady her.<br>"I'll get you down now!"

"B-but, my balloon! The one papa bought me!..." The girl wailed as Ichigo slowly climbed back down to a reasonable height of the tree before jumping. She then looks back up at the tree.

"I... I'll get it for you! Definitely!" Ichigo stated bravely, changing her stance and putting one hand on her chest, as if it symbolised something.  
>"E-eh?"<br>"Ichigo?!"  
>"Ichigo-tan?! Love you, desu! Go for it!" Aoi and Otome looked at Ichigo, rather incredulously at first. Ichigo glanced back at them with determined eyes with a burning fire. She rolled up her sleeves and begans to climb, without looking at just how far up the balloon really was.<p>

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><p><strong>And that's it for this chapter! :D<strong>

**Thank you for reading! As per usual, if there are any mistakes, please do point them out. Sorry if the action seems a bit bland :/  
>Until next time!<strong>


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